A liquid crystal projector (ECB (Electrically Controlled Birefringence) projector) for producing a display by using an electrically controlled birefringence effect can perform active matrix addressing with a low driving voltage and, therefore, has a characteristic such that the number of pixels can be easily increased and the size of the substrate can be easily reduced.
A liquid crystal display device, a polarization beam splitter, and a dichromic prism forming the ECB liquid crystal projector are arranged so that four sides of the components are disposed in parallel in order to reduce the size and weight of the liquid crystal projector.
In the ECB liquid crystal projector, light is polarized and passes through the liquid crystal display device and an optical system. The polarization beam splitter transmits one of two linearly polarized light beams whose electric vector is parallel to the four sides and reflects the other light beam. If the alignment direction of the liquid crystal is set at 45.degree. from the four sides in the polarization beam splitter, the light entering the polarization beam splitter can be modulated between the two linearly polarized light beams, so that a high contrast ratio can be obtained. In this case, the alignment direction of the liquid crystal is inclined at 45.degree. from the alignment direction of pixels of the liquid crystal display device.
Since the size of the liquid crystal display device used for the ECB liquid crystal projector is as small as about (1.4.times.1.4) inches, the interval between electrodes is extremely narrow, such as 2 .mu.m or narrower. Consequently, in the case where a scanning line rate polarity inversion drive is used for applying driving pulses of different polarities to every pixel row, a strong electric field is generated between electrodes.
A liquid crystal molecule receives a torque from the electric field so that the axis of the molecule is pointed toward the interelectrode electric field and a part (interelectrode domain) in which the liquid crystal alignment is disturbed occurs between and around the electrodes.
Light is leaked from the interelectrode domain and the brightness in dark representation increases, so that the contrast ratio decreases.
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 8-334770, pixels are inclined at 45.degree. from the four sides of a liquid crystal display device. However, in this case as well, the interelectrode domain is not completely eliminated and an interelectrode domain occurs on one side of each pixel.